On his site, he thanks a church for replacing his phone, saying he could not have landed three recent jobs without it.

“I’ve done some painting,” he told WDIV. “I’ve taken some other guys out on team jobs where I needed a couple extra guys to carry some things.”

Hagenston also describes his life as a “series of rebuilding.”

“Along the way I have learned that hard work, determination, ethical and moral decision making, along with a positive attitude is the right combination to pull yourself out of a hole,” he writes on his site. “However, just once I wish there was someone with a rope to assist.”

He also describes his idea for an app with face-recognition software to help expose fake panhandlers — as well as a nonprofit to benefit the homeless.

Honest Abe also said he and several other homeless people have organized themselves “like a union” to panhandle in shifts.

“I’m trying to turn this situation into something that will not only help me but help others,” he said.